Release No. 0083.11

WASHINGTON, July 21, 2011 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA has begun issuing approximately $2.6 million in fiscal year 2010 payments through a program that assists farmers and producers outside the contiguous continental United States who paid to transport either an agricultural commodity or an input used to produce an agricultural commodity. The Secretary also announced that the sign-up period for this year's program begins on July 25.

"This program will partially compensate U.S. farmers and ranchers outside the contiguous continental United States who are at a competitive disadvantage when they move their products to market," Vilsack said.

Authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill, the Reimbursement Transportation Cost Payment Program for Geographically Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (RTCP) provides payments intended to offset a portion of the costs of transporting agricultural inputs and products over long distances. The program assists farmers and ranchers in Alaska, Hawaii, and insular areas including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands of the United States, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands and Republic of Palau.

RTCP benefits are calculated based on the amount of costs incurred by the producer for transportation of the agricultural commodity or inputs during a fiscal year, subject to an $8,000 per producer cap per fiscal year. Fiscal year 2010 payments to geographically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers approved for RTCP benefits began on July 20, 2011.

Sign-up for fiscal year 2011 RTCP will begin on July 25, 2011, and end on Sept. 9, 2011. Applicants must file their RTCP application for benefits with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) county office no later than Sept. 9, 2011. Applicants will have until Nov. 4, 2011, to provide supporting documentation of actual costs of transporting agricultural inputs and commodities in fiscal year 2011 to the FSA county office.

For more information on the new RTCP program, farmers and ranchers in the eligible areas can visit their local FSA county office or http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport.